The radical drive by Mayor Dave Hodgson and Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats to open up Bedford Borough Council has made further progress, as the General Purposes Committee passed a proposal to remove the remaining restrictions on public questions at Full Council meetings.
Following objections from Liberal Democrat Cllr Tim Hill and the local residents, the Planning Committee at Bedford Borough Council have chosen to reject an application to build on The Swan car park in Elstow.
The Rainbow Flag is flying at Borough Hall today, marking the launch of LGBT History Month. The flying of the flag is a small but important symbol of our commitment to equal rights, and I hope it sends a clear message of support to LGBT members of the community.
Last week's meeting of the Council Executive saw us approve the proposed budget for 2013/14, with the proposals underpinned by the three priorities of protecting front line services, keeping local tax bills down and investing in the Borough's future. That's why, subject to the approval of the Full Council, we will deliver a third straight average council tax freeze, major investment in schools and infrastructure and the protection of services being lost so commonly elsewhere such as weekly bin collections, libraries and rural bus services.
In the current economic climate, town centres face major challenges to attract people in, and they need to change and adapt if they are to thrive. Bedford is no exception and in Mayor Dave Hodgsons' latest column for the Times and Citizen newspaper, he looks at the opportunities for Bedford to do just this . Please click here to see the full column.
The latest of my monthly columns for the Times and Citizen newspaper looked at Bedford Town Centre in the context of the nationwide trends which are creating such challenges for the British High Street. The 'perfect storm' of the extremely difficult wider economic climate, the rise of internet shopping and growth of out-of-town shopping have sent many town centres fall into steep decline.